FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

With the deployment of Uzabe’s 20,000 observers, Connected Development (CODE) and her media and CSO partners observed the process and conduct of elections in polling units across 774 LGA’s of the 36 States and federal Capital Territory. Our findings raise several concerns about the management of the Presidential and NASS elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Following recent events, this interim statement will bring to light some of the discrepancies observed and will be followed by a more detailed report of the entire exercise.

A breakdown of negative and positive events observed at the polls include:

We observed late deployment of INEC staff and election materials, which led to the late opening of polls in 64% of polling units we observed, which saw many polling units close before exhausting the 6 hours of voting time, citing nightfall as an excuse. In many other polling units across the country, citizens’ resilience saw voting conducted late into the night with no power supply or light bulbs, under very unsecured conditions. For this purpose, many Nigerians were disenfranchised, and the most affected demography were Persons with disability, pregnant women, and elderly people. Registration Area Centers (RACs) were introduced by INEC to decentralize the coordination of logistics and effective deployment, to achieve early opening of polls, yet polls opened in some polling units across the country by 3pm and above.

We also observed that INEC in many polling units failed to adhere to her guidelines, stipulating that where election fails to hold because of the late opening of polls or failure of the Bi-Modal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC shall conduct elections in such polling units the next day. INEC Chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu reinforced this in his communication on Election day, assuring Nigerians that if elections did not hold in any polling units, that INEC will deploy staff and materials to hold election in such places the next day. We observed that in many of such polling units, INEC staff and materials were not deployed to these areas, like in Imo state primary health care development agency, New Owerri 1, PU 0I8, and as such citizens again were disenfranchised. 

We observed that in some of these places where elections did not hold, results of polls were returned. An example of this is in Oru East LGA, Imo State. This systematic disenfranchisement of voters can partly be blamed for the 26.7% voter turnout witnessed in this election, which was anticipated to be much higher.

In the lead-up to this election, we had praised INEC for being very responsive in communication. However on Election day, when the situation arose on election day that INEC was needed the most to communicate timely and clearly, INEC was mum.

We observed that in 73% of Polling Units, an average of 2 Security personnel were seen present, very early in the day. We also observed the presence of armed Security Personnel in 28% of Polling Units observed. We observed that Security personnel deployed were civil in 71% of the polling units. While we commend the early deployment and spread of Security personnel, we however observed that there were several cases of voter Intimidation, and disruption of polls targeted at suppressing votes in favor of other political parties. Security personnel were seen to be in these polling units, yet thugs carried on with their criminal acts unhindered. This is way below the expected threshold of a civic exercise, where the security of voters should be protected, and citizens allowed to vote their choice without coercion or intimidation. 

We also observed that Nigerians approached and participated in this election in high spirits, trusting the process, on the assurance of INEC’s promised innovations which will ensure transparency of result collation and result management. The deployment of BVAS and INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV) were presented to Nigerians as game changers in this 2023 general election. We observed that citizens found it difficult to log in to the IREV until late in the day of election. The IREV failed to upload any result of the Presidential election as at 10pm of election day, and even when the results started uploading, it was in trickles. At this moment, 4 days after the Saturday Presidential Election, only 85% of the results have been uploaded. This is in sharp contrast to all the promise and assurance given by INEC. 

We also observed that BVAS was used in 99% of the polling units we observed. We commend the swift efficiency of the BVAS in most of these polling units, which eliminated manual accreditation, ghost voters, and frivolous unreal results. We observed that the BVAS checked result manipulation and rigging to a very large extent, as biometric accreditation was used, and the number of accredited voters was applied in the process, eliminating over voting. However, there were many polling units where BVAS failed to work. As we saw at the National Collation center, many State Collation Officers for Presidential Elections that announced results, stated the failure of BVAS as reasons why elections did not hold in many polling units in the State, but they all did not explain why they failed to timely replace the BVAS, as stipulated in section 47, subsection 3 of the Electoral Act 2022.

We also observed that in 95% of the polling units where our observers were present, the polling units had a voting booth positioned in a way that ensured the secrecy of the ballot. We believe this may have reduced vote trading in these polling units.

As Nigerians prepare to go to the polls for the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections on 11th March 2023, Connected Development and her partners appeal to INEC to ensure that the many challenges that marred the credibility of the Presidential election should be handled; ensure a swift deployment and early opening of polls is put in place, professional conduct of security personnel, and INEC’s strict adherence to the use of BVAS for biometric accreditation, and electronic transmission of results from polling unit as stipulated by the Electoral Act 2022 and INEC 2023 Election guidelines for the conduct of election. The Governorship and State Assembly election is yet another opportunity for INEC to redeem her now battered image, and earn the trust and confidence of the Electorate in our electoral process.

More importantly, INEC should ensure transparency of the result management and collation process and make certain that polling unit results are uploaded timely on the INEC Result Viewing Portal (IREV), to stand a chance at redeeming her already deflated public confidence, and her almost blown-away goodwill which they have enjoyed from Nigerians.

The Uzabe election observation mission was focused on the election day process; focusing on the quality of the election, with the notion that if the process is right, the outcome will be right and accepted by all. Drawing from these observations, Connected Development and her partners conclude that the 2023 Presidential and National Assembly Election failed to meet the basic threshold of a credible election, as it failed short of Citizen’s expectations, INEC’s assurances, and benchmark of international election best practice. 

Connected Development (CODE) wishes to redress the media and general public on the allegation of election result manipulation and relocation of  Local Government Collation centres in Ekiti State.

Following the recent narrative making the rounds on media tabloids that Connected Development alleged the manipulation of the Presidential and National Assembly (NASS) results as well as the relocation of Local Government Collation centres in some States, CODE wishes to provide clarity on these narratives.

Connected Development in collaboration with her partners held a press conference on Sunday 26th of February, 2023 to give an update on the electoral process as observed with her electoral intelligence tool–Uzabe. 

At the conclusion of the conference, we noticed reports stating that CODE alleged a manipulation of the presidential and NASS elections as well as a relocation of Local Government collation centres particularly in Ekiti State.

It is fundamental to reiterate that while CODE has a mandate to enhance effective democratic governance and accountability, using technologies such as Uzabe to close the feedback loop between citizens and the government, we however, realise that collaboration with other institutions with similar objectives will aid in effectively charting our course.

On this note, we would like to reiterate that CODE’s Uzabe platform is not particularly concerned with the results of the election but is interested in the processes of the elections to ensure that INEC’s guidelines are adequately met.

We also wish to state that the reports on the “Local Government Collation centres in Ekiti State being relocated with new location being shrouded in secrecy” was printed in a haste. Our observers had drawn attention to the fact that collated results were not made public and raised concerns over transparency of the electoral process.

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About Connected Development:

Connected Development (CODE) is Africa’s leading Civil Society organisation that empowers marginalised communities with access to information while creating platforms for informed debates using data to inform policy and decision-making centred around citizens’ service delivery.

Contact: Seun Durojaiye

seun@connecteddevelopment.org

The history of Nigeria has been shaped by conflict, violence, instability, and insecurity. Election seasons are marked by military coups, electoral fraud, religious fanaticism, ethnicity, militancy, and banditry. The Electoral Act of 2022 is excellent and will enhance Nigeria’s democracy, but electoral violence will not be eradicated overnight. Electoral violence and misconduct continue to affect politics. Continue Reading

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Dear Friends,

In 2017, I challenged myself and other sisters to do two things on every International Women’s Day (IWD): celebrate a sister whose strength has borne you through the years, and write an open letter of affirmation to one male champion who has been a firm handhold and foothold in this journey through life. In the year that he will celebrate his 60th birthday, (born on 18 December 1962), I am celebrating Salihu Mohammed Lukman (SML), my husband, and a role-model life partner for a feminist like me. I wish him happiness on this IWD.

Where have the years gone? I know: they went into the making of us. SML and I have known each other forever 30 years, 26 of which we have been married. Over the years, we have encouraged each other to be better versions of ourselves. We have argued, debated, and disagreed, too. How boring would life be without the spats! But weal was resolved, in the end, to solve our issues by ourselves.

SML has taught me that there is no easy way to be a good man. It takes effort and the consciousness of what is the better road to travel. It also takes acknowledgment of one’s mistakes and keeping one’s pledges to do better.

We have matured together from our ‘okada’ riding days. Our many milestones include our first homes, our first child, and our first degrees. Through it, all, our friendship and common values have grown stronger. SML is a stellar feminist spouse.

They ask what do feminists want in a marital relationship? Well, not too much. Feminists treasure husbands and partners who let us be us. We want our spouses to toughen us and help us negotiate better and walk in our own paths. So doing, they enable us to conquer obstacles and discover new horizons and achieve beyond what we had imagined.

Feminists love spouses that do not feel threatened by our success. When sometimes they tell us maybe you should not do that, we do anyway. Sometimes we are right and at some other times, they are right. Regardless of who is right, our mutual respect endures.

We love spouses who seethe gem in us and don’t allow religion, ethnicity, race, or age to be a barrier to the expression of our love. Such spouses listen to our advocacy; they understand that what we want is a better society and a better world–not only for ourselves but also for our children and generations unborn.

Our husbands are our most important partners. While much of society, including some of those elected to protect women, still struggle to grapple with apparent or nuanced gendered relationships, our husbands love and respect us, appreciate our openness, and want us to succeed. They demonstrate their support in the place that matters most: our home–where they don’t see it as odd to cook for us, bath the children, and change a diaper as occasions demand.

In the spirit of this partnership, feminist wives know it is alright to spend our income on the family. It is no business of outsiders how we make ends meet at home. Who buys the bread and who pays the rent are unimportant to the partnership. What are important are equity, fairness, friendship, and solidarity?

If you are male and wondering how to be a happy man, know that masculinity can also oppress you. In moments when you need to let out the emotions and cry, society may prevent you from enjoying the health derivable from doing so because you are a man. Sometimes your humanity may be at stake when you need to pick up your own plate, lay your bed, cook for your own family, but you don’t because you don’t want to be called a woman wrapper. ‘But it is alright for a man to cry, care for his family, and share in the household chores. In any case, when you were born, you were wrapped in a woman’s wrapper as your mother cuddled you and gave you your first experience of life’s nurture

In closing, I would like to speak to when a feminist is married to an activist I am. SML speaks truth to power. Through his many open letters, he gives power to truth. I may sometimes worry about the letters and quibble over their timing, but I always understand the principle and the logic being expressed without trepidation. Through their thoughts, our teachers and mentors had raised us on their shoulders to have a clear view of the world; they prepared us to navigate the labyrinth that is life. Whether working from within or from without, we are change-makers. SML and I will always strive to positively impact our world.

I would like to affirm my husband for embodying these values and to say, with love, Happy 60th Year, in advance. Allah ya ja kwana. (I pray that his life is long) and continues to be a beacon of hope and courage and a powerful symbol of possibility for the many watching, including our children. Happy International Women’s Day 2022 to you all.

Amina Salihu

08 March 2022

Gender Equality Today For A Sustainable Tomorrow
#BreakTheBias

The Gender Policy represents CODE’s commitment towards gender equality. The Gender Policy provides guidance on how Connected Development (CODE) intends to mainstream gender equality, equity, and social justice in organizational practices, policy formation, campaigns, project development and implementation, monitoring, and evaluation. The policy is based on the human rights-based approach that seeks to improve the rights of children, women, and men to ensure full participation and equal benefits from democratic processes. The human rights-based approach focuses on those who are marginalized, excluded, or discriminated against. Read More

The National Primary Health Care Development Agency (NPHCDA) and Nigeria’s leading civil society organization, Connected Development (CODE) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to strengthen and foster health sector accountability in Nigeria. 

The MOU is a vital step towards enabling CODE to further expands its tracking and evaluation of Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) across the country, to inform its advocacy in canvassing for improved primary healthcare infrastructure and service delivery.

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BudgIT Foundation and Connected Development (CODE), two prominent civic-tech non-governmental organisations spearheading the advocacy for openness, transparency and accountability in governance, have launched the second phase of the COVID-19 Transparency and Accountability Project (CTAP), an initiative that seeks to promote accountability and transparency through the tracking of COVID-19 intervention funds across 10 African countries. 

For the first phase of the project, both organisations leveraged their Tracka and Follow The Money (FTM) platforms to address the deeply rooted systemic profiteering culture associated with COVID-19 interventions and ineffective feedback mechanisms for tracking COVID-19 fund disbursements and management across focus countries. The first phase also strengthened civic engagement on COVID-19 response related matters to ensure that targeted governments use COVID-19 funds effectively. 

Building on these successes, the second phase of the project will advocate for improved healthcare funding and address the issues related to vaccine deployment and equitable distribution across focus countries. Both organisations will do this firstly, by conducting research on the post COVID environment, the distribution of health sector resources, the government’s commitment to healthcare funding, vaccine procurement plans and the issues affecting the equitable distribution in Africa, with a special focus on vulnerable groups in terms of commercial activity and socioeconomic status.

According to Oluseun Onigbinde, BudgIT’s Global Director, “This research will set a pathway for identifying the peculiar issues with procurement plans and vaccine distribution, after which we can build partnerships with relevant stakeholders and sectoral leaders to co-create inclusive frameworks and solutions for long-term health sector accountability,”. “We will not only collaborate with governments in focus countries to institute proper and sustainable accountability systems, we will also enhance the COVID-19 Accountability Platform (covidfund.africa) with a digital dashboard that tracks health sector resourcing and accountability approaches” he added.

Beyond collaborations with the government and sectoral leaders, we will also strengthen citizens’ engagement and equip civil society organisations in each focus country on how to prioritise vulnerable communities in their advocacy for improved health care investment.

While speaking on this part of the project, Hamzat Lawal, CODE’s Chief Executive noted that both organisations will mobilise at least 1.7million Africans digitally and offline to monitor emergency funds and demand health sector accountability.

“We will also facilitate dialogue sessions between 36 CSOs and the government to create opportunities for engagement between both parties on improved funding and health sector accountability.” he added

The COVID-19 transparency and accountability project has been instrumental in strengthening COVID-19 fund accountability frameworks and devising strategies that enhance citizen-led advocacy for reforms. We believe that this second phase will leverage existing partnerships with relevant stakeholders, the OGP and Global Health Organisations working on fiscal issues related to COVID-19 fund management and health sector accountability. This project is led by CODE and BudgIT in collaboration with Global Integrity, Oxlade Consulting and primarily funded by Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Skoll Foundation.

Does interpreting data and turning into information for solutions make you tick?

CODE’S CALL FOR A DATA ANALYST

Job Position
Data Analyst

Location: Abuja, Nigeria

Organizational Background

Connected Development [CODE] is a non-government organization [NGO] whose mission is to empower marginalized communities in Africa.

We strengthen local communities by creating platforms for dialogue, enabling informed debate, and building capacities of citizens on how to hold their government accountable through Follow The Money. CODE provides marginalized and vulnerable communities with resources to amplify their voices with independence and integrity while providing the communities with information that ushers social and economic progress.

To enhance effective democratic governance and accountability, CODE creates platforms [mobile and web technologies] that close the feedback loop between citizens and the government. With global expertise and reach, we focus on community outreach, influencing policies, practices, and knowledge mobilization.

CODE is calling for a Data Analyst who will join the team to carry out the following responsibilities:

– Develop and implement databases and data collection systems.
– Work closely with management to identify critical metrics and to prioritize needs.
– Collect and analyze data from primary and / or secondary data sources for CODE, develop reports and visual representations.
– Support the maintainance of CODE’s database and provide technical support to all programme locations.
– Support studies and research like feasibility studies and surveys etc.
– Support data quality assessment and development of reports in accordance with the outcome of data analysis.
– Visualize and present findings to key stakeholders.
– Build and customize reports.
– Produce high quality and varied research outputs for a range of audiences including analysis, report writing and presentations where necessary
– Develop and maintain dashboards.
– Create and maintain documentation regarding data models, measures, and infrastructure as they are developed
– Design database specifications and modify existing software packages to meet specific research project needs.
– Write sections of scientific papers, funding proposals, grants, and abstracts.
– Conduct data audits, compile results, analyze and summarize audit findings.
– Coordinate and manage the collection, delivery, entry, verification, analysis, and reporting of data.
– Provide advice regarding data collection and analysis required for research projects.
– Recommend modifications to processes related to data collection and data entry conventions and develop implementation plans.
Support all forms of CODE’s research and evaluation.
– Responsible for the application of complex statistical and technical skills toward the collection, analysis, and translation of statistical data for a variety of research projects.
– Conduct statistical research and analysis and compiles and interprets statistical records and reports for research projects.
– Identify the appropriate method of statistical analysis and apply statistical techniques to interpret data.

Requirements
– HND or Bachelor’s Degree in Statistics, Mathematics, Research or related discipline
– At least 4 years of working experience in Research Data Analysis within the development space
– Experience in Programme Research
– Experience in Research & Statistics within the development space
– Experience in conducting and organising qualitative fieldwork
– Experience in designing qualitative research tools
– Evidence of having delivered or contributed to the delivery of high-quality social research outputs
– Experience in conducting and/or managing reviews and evaluations of projects that use both quantitative and qualitative monitoring and impact data.
– Experience with working with teams across diverse locations (local & international)
– Ability to collect, analyse and produce good quality data and information
– Proven skills in data management with concrete knowledge of open-source tools
– Experience with database management, word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software
– Well organized, with ability to track multiple projects and deadlines.
– An ego-free attitude when it comes to taking constructive feedback and running with it.
– Ability to work methodically and meet deadlines.
– Positive, flexible, solution-oriented, and excited to work with a diverse team of professionals working toward a common goal

Method of Application:

Interested candidates should fill the form provided. Please note that only shortlisted candidates will be contacted.

DEADLINE: 25th February 2022

APPLY HERE